Who Will Protect You?
by Angel-Chan
Summary: Who protects the protector?  Sora/Kairi


_A/N: Hello, there, Kingdom Hearts OTP. How you doin'? This is the first time I've posted fic for you on ffnet, huh? ...er, anyway. I wrote this for a friend on livejournal to the prompt 'Defend.' I'm not sure how in-character they are (just started replaying my Final Mix games, so I'm brushing up on the characters as I type!), but I hope you guys like it~_

**Who Will Protect You?**

He was, quite simply, trying to be nice. Not exactly suave, per se, but he would be lying if he claimed he wasn't hoping to impress. Well, maybe not impress, but… Sora groaned inwardly.

From a few feet below, Kairi gave him a bemused look.

"Sorry," he grumbled, taking her hand and pulling her up with him. A weak grin flashed across his face, nowhere near as calm as he'd been moments before. This was mostly due to his realization of this being as close to a date as he'd ever had in his life. "My mind kinda… wandered for a second."

"More than usual?" she teased with a light laugh, leaning in slightly and poking his forehead.

Grunting, Sora turned so as to hide the blush rising (although he knew it was in vain, due to the current burn he felt on the tips of his ears). "A-anyway!" He stopped a few steps forward, then paused, eyes glancing. Where was he going…?

The sun-tinted water glittered on the horizon. "Right, that's right," was the whispered reply to his internal question. Louder, he said, "Over here," and unconsciously reached for her hand once again.

Shyly, he lead Kairi over to the cliff while trying to remember what he wanted to talk about. He'd discussed it in great detail with Riku, who had promptly laughed at him and called him an idiot (for a week). Was he really being so ridiculous? He honestly didn't think so.

"So…," she started as she sat down, her long legs dangling over the edge. Her feet swung lightly, probably in time to a song echoing somewhere in her head. "What's so important that we had to come here?"

The young keyblader sat beside her with a soft "oomph," and quickly fell onto his back. Important? Kind of, yes. He had some… _things _to talk about. …feelings, and whatnot. Maybe. Unless he couldn't muster the courage, which was also very likely. (Tidus and Wakka had a bet going on as to whether he would say anything, which kind of irked him. He had a sinking suspicion that his best friend had shared his secret.)

Something brushed against his nose, and he jumped slightly. Kairi laughed, a piece of grass dangling from her fingers. "Hey, that's not fair," he claimed, but he couldn't hide the chuckle in his tone. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard, after all.

She stretched, reaching for the sky, then laid down beside him. "When are you leaving?" Her voice was quiet at this question. When he turned to look at her, her eyes were fixed on the clouds above.

"Not sure yet," he replied. "Probably soon… Those people need my help, you know?"

"How very like you, Sora. Always protecting people."

Sure, she probably didn't mean anything by it, but he felt his heart skip a beat. Curse his hormones. "Of course! I'm a hero, after all! Well, Phil says I'm only a rookie, but I'm well on my way! Maybe next time I go to the Coliseum, I'll show him just how good I am. I mean, I've saved multiple worlds and—"

"Who's going to protect you, though?"

Oh. He had been rambling. That was _not_ part of his plan. Sora cleared his throat and closed his eyes. "I'll have Donald and Goofy and Riku with me. I'm sure they'll keep a close eye on me, no worries."

Her laugh sent butterflies raging through his stomach. "That's not quite what I meant, silly!" There was a slight shuffle beside him, and he peeked an eye open to see what she was up to. His blush deepened when he realized she was close—so, so close—and peering down at him curiously.

"Wh-what _did _you mean, then?" Sora's thoughts were racing. This wasn't going how he'd planned at all! He'd even rehearsed it! Where was the giggling, shy Kairi who was supposed to hang onto his every word and promise? Okay, maybe he'd gone a little overboard with his portrayal of her, but… but still! He bit his lip, unable to take his gaze off of her.

Kairi tapped her chin in thought; her eyes closed, furthering her contemplation. "I mean…," she said, slight worry in her words. "What if you get sad? Or lost? What if something happens, and you can't find the light?"

Sora, despite his pounding heart, propped himself up on his elbows; the two teens were practically nose-to-nose now. "Like when you saved me at Hollow Bastion?" he asked. "If you hadn't been there…"

"You might have stayed a heartless," she murmured. Her brows were furrowed with fear, and she watched him with such a solemn stare that he finally had to break the eye contact. He hated making her feel like that.

But… what could he say to ease her troubles? Not even he knew. So he fumbled with his words until he remembered something he'd wanted to tell her today. "I want to protect you," he finally confessed, voice low. His throat was burning, and he realized he hadn't swallowed in a while—not the best idea.

"And you have… but can't I protect you, too?"

"You don't have to, Kairi."

His heart nearly jumped from his chest when she placed a hand on his cheek, fingers brushing near his ear. His eyes, which were surely as wide as saucers, met hers again; she smiled, almost pleadingly, in reply.

"But I want to."

All he could manage was a subdued, "Oh…," as he breathed out.

It took him a moment to realize that she was leaning down, eyes fluttering shut and breath warm on his cheeks. His hands clenched the dirt below him in anticipation. Sora puckered his lips slightly, prepared and yet not prepared in the slightest. He hadn't expected a kiss! Maybe a hug or something, but not this! Mind racing, time seemed to slow as he waited…

Kairi planted a loving kiss on his forehead.

A giggle filled his ears, and he realized he probably looked rather stupid, posing for a kiss. "So, Sora," she asked, still closer than his body could handle. "What was it you wanted to talk about again?"

He refused to tell Riku what happened after that.


End file.
